"Hmm... teleporting with no distance limit consumes mental energy... The side effects are quite noticeable since it's the first time... Ying's physique is probably not as good as mine, she must have had a much tougher time teleporting before..."
Lumine quickly analyzed the pros and cons of her newly acquired ability.
"Wh-what's going on?! Weren't we just talking to that guy named Childe?!" Paimon exclaimed, observing their surroundings, her little head spinning.
"Yeah, it's a new ability I gained. Put it this way, I can teleport anywhere as long as I have something similar to this," Lumine explained.
"Wow~ That's amazing?! Does that mean we can travel between Liyue and Mondstadt anytime we want from now on? (✪▽✪)"
"Mmm... you could say that," Lumine replied.
"Heehee~ That's fantastic! Then let's go find the adepti now~"
"Wait a moment. Let's rest here and prepare first. After all, teleporting consumes my mental energy."
"Eh?! Then you should sit down and rest properly! (Σ(っ°Д°;)っ)" Paimon immediately flew to Lumine's side, just in case she fainted.
"Hahaha~ It's not that much, I won't faint. But thank you, Paimon (^～^)" (The real reason is I want to wait and see if Ying will follow...)
"Heehee~ It's okay, it's okay. With Paimon here, you just rest well~" Paimon confidently patted her chest.
"Okay (^_^)"
Two hours later...
"Sigh..." (It's been so long, why hasn't Ying come yet... (ー△ー))
(Can she not sense it? That shouldn't be the case... Or is she also being chased and has no time to look? That's quite possible, after all, besides the length of our hair, we look incredibly alike... Uh... Could she have been captured by the Millelith?! Σ(|||▽|||) )
(No, no, no... you have to believe her, Lumine. She's so smart... Uh... maybe not that smart... Ah, whatever, she'll definitely find a way. Don't think about her being captured, because the more you think about it, the more possible it seems, ahhhhh!)
"Let's go, Paimon! We're going to find the adepti now!"
"Waaah?! Are you done resting?" Paimon was startled by the voice suddenly in her ear and asked doubtfully.
"Yes, I'm done resting. Let's go, let's go, or it'll be too late!" (In any case, I'll find the adepti first and tell them what's going on. If they can get involved, that would be best. If not... then I'll just have to fight them myself!)
Lumine and Paimon soon arrived at Mt. Tianheng and met the legendary Three-Eyed Five-Manifestations Adepti...
"The 'Seal of a Hundred Banishments'... I haven't seen this thing in years. I didn't expect mortals to still possess it."
"I am one of the Three-Eyed Five-Manifestations Adepti, Moon-Bane Pool-Soothing Great God. Traveler, state your purpose."
Lumine: "Mmm, the situation is like this..."
"Assassins! They've actually escaped to here!"
"The... Millelith?! They've tracked us all the way here?!"
(Wait... if the Millelith are still investigating the assassins, doesn't that mean Ying hasn't been caught by them yet?! That's great!)
Lumine rejoiced internally.
"Hmph... disturbing my peace. Send them away, but do not kill them."
"Yes!" (Hmph hmph~ Chasing me will come at a price!)
Lumine quickly drove off this squad of Millelith from Mt. Tianheng...
"Sigh... it's quite inconvenient without a weapon. I should have kept my old one-handed sword instead of throwing it away... It's all that damned Scaramouche's fault! Next time I see him, I'm going to beat him so badly his own mother won't recognize him!"
"Uh... that's a bit too harsh, Lumine..."
"Hmph~ Who told him to break the sword Ying gave me, and to scheme against Ying before... No, that was too easy for him just now. I want to show him what it means to wish for death!"
"I feel like you're about to explode, Lumine..."
"Hmph... the more I think about it, the angrier I get. Sigh~ Anyway, I should go back and tell that adeptus about the Geo Archon's demise."
(And Ying, she wasn't caught by the Millelith at all, yet she didn't come to find me... When we meet, if she doesn't give me a reasonable explanation, I'll let her know what it means to be bedridden for a week (￣へ￣))
"Achoo! Ugh... why do I feel a chill down my spine... ￣﹏￣"
"Hmm? Are you feeling cold?" Hu Tao touched Ying's forehead.
"You don't seem to have a fever..."
"It's nothing, it's nothing. Maybe someone is badmouthing me. Did you remember the key points I gave you earlier?"
"Mmm-hmm, I remember everything. Tell me, what do you want to eat? This Hall Master will make it for you (^～^)"
"Ah, this... cough cough! You can't eat too much at night, you'll get fat. Please cook me a bowl of plain congee."
(It's a bit difficult for her to cook after only one day of learning... and I don't want to be sent to do her Story Quest by Hu Tao too soon...)
"Alright! This Hall Master will get it for you right away!"
Hu Tao agreed and excitedly picked up the pots and pans to start cooking, while Ying also watched attentively, not daring to drift off for a moment.
After some time...
"Hmph hmph... success! This Hall Master can clearly feel that my cooking skills have improved a lot," Hu Tao said, clapping her hands confidently.
"Mmm... it does look much better than last time. At least the color is right..." (But the most important thing is that I watched from start to finish, otherwise I'm afraid I still wouldn't dare to take a bite...)
"Heehee~ Ying, quickly try it~"
"No rush. Paimon has been hungry for so long, she should try it first (^～^)" (Hehe... she probably won't realize who made the meal ๑乛v乛๑)
"That's right! We seem to have forgotten about her for most of the day. We should definitely compensate her..." Hu Tao mused and agreed.
"Exactly~ Cough cough... Paimon! Come out for dinner~!" Ying cleared her throat and called out loudly.
"Ha~ The host is finally done with me. It's been such a long time, weren't you exhausted by me?" Paimon rubbed her eyes and flew out of the room.
"Yikes?! Explain to me what you mean by 'exhausted by you' (^_^怒)?" Ying grabbed Paimon and pinched her cheek angrily.
"Ouch! It hurts, it hurts! I was wrong, I was wrong, Host, let go! ≥﹏≤"
"Hmph... this is the consequence of your loose talk. And *you* were the one who was exhausted! Believe it or not, I'll 'exhaust' you tonight (ᗜ˰ᗜ)"
"Eh?!"
"Ahahaha~ Alright, don't scare her, Paimon~ Come quickly and try this delicious bowl of plain congee~ (^～^)"
"You're too good to her, Hu Tao," Ying let go of Paimon and pouted at Hu Tao.
"Wow~ Then I won't be polite! (✪▽✪)"
Paimon immediately picked up the plain congee and drank it down in big gulps. Before long, she had finished the entire bowl.
"Ha~ I'm full, I'm full~ Host, your congee isn't that good, the taste is a bit strange. But it's much better than the bowl you forced me to drink last time~"
"Cough cough... I didn't make this oh~"